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Escape from a destroyed space station in this VR game

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This article was taken from the March 2016 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content bysubscribing online.

ADR1FT challenges players to escape from a devastated space station. But the VR game, which is due to launch alongside Oculus Rift in early 2016, has its origins a little closer to home.

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Adam Orth, co-founder of indie developer Three One Zero, had the idea when his own world blew apart. An unguarded Twitter comment led to outrage, threats and his resignation from Microsoft Game Studios in 2013. "I was basically in hiding," says Orth, 45. "Adrift was a great word for how I felt." The experience, which pre-dates the similar 2013 film Gravity, inspired Orth to emerge from hiding and began recruiting.

The space station's aesthetic was inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey, minimalist architecture - and Braun's 70s KF21 coffee machines. "We were careful about how we destroyed the space station," says Orth. The player has to hunt for oxygen and navigate through ruined sections while trying to discover the cause of the accident. It's zero-gravity, so the only limits are the player's own comfort and the need to replenish air supplies. "You can go in any direction," says Orth. "You can even play upside down."

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ADR1FT's astrobatics were built from the ground up for VR. And, just like the astronaut, Orth is in unfamiliar territory. "Things are moving fast," he says. "It's so exciting to explore the unknown."

ADR1FT will be released for PC on 28 March 2016.

This article was first published in the March 2016 issue of WIRED magazine